Android is still an "experiment"

I did a little experiment recently. I got a Moto X, in order to Android again (stuck with it for 2 months). My last Android phone was a Droid 2. I enjoyed the phone especially the features native to the Moto X. Android has really grown over the years.

But here is my opinion...

1. There is subtle but noticeable lag in some parts of the OS, and certainly in some resource hogging apps like Facebook and that is not good enough.
2. Apps like Skype dont work well in the background. I had trouble receiving calls especially if the app was not recently used.
3. The OS theme is not uniform, and that can be a bit jarring at times. Dark or light? Decide Google.
4. Devs do not seem to spend as much time developing Android apps as they seem to do for iOS apps and it shows in design and performance.
5. Some apps dont seem to work well with the system. PocketCasts for example won't restart immediately when you click the action button on your headsets. I took a picture once with the Moto X camera, and went back later and it washt there. How does that happen? My wife was witness to that event.
6. Hands free interaction with your phone (in my case a Moto X) still seem to need a lot of hand interactions, like unlocking or confirming. I find SIRI to be more helpful as a personal assistant than Google Now.
7. The icons... Whats with all the dimensionally different icons. Different shapes I get, but they should all be dimensionally equal. Then some devs just give you a totally flat edged squared icon that simple looks ugly (see Microsoft apps). Others give you huge icons (see Amazon), and other way too small (see Feedly). I am not sure whose icon is the correct size though).
8. Safari on iOS is better than Chrome on Android, it seems to handle the web better. Thats strange since Google owns the web.
9. The camera sucks on the Moto X compared to 2 year old iPhone 5. But that is a Moto X problem.
10. Some apps are simply ugly, haphazardly designed.

After all is said and done, I like Android, and I like Google apps running on Android. My problem with Android are the 3rd party apps. They may be up there in quantity, but they are not up there in quality, and a smartphone is as good as its apps for many people. After all apps are what you use when you own a smartphone.

In some ways Android seems to be a fun and versatile OS, still rough on the edges. It is as though Google experiments with everything, throws all new experimental features on the devices, but never really sees them though. If they would truly give it their all, and follow through on the development of all the features on Android, Android would probably be infinitely better than iOS.

I am back on my iPhone 5. I wish the screen was bigger, and the OS more customisable (I think), but everything works just as it should and I can depend on it working. For me and my normal day to day routine, that is what really matter.

P.S. The only thing I will truly miss about Android is the Gmail app, that is as close to perfection as a Mail app can get in my opinion. It is solid.

To me i just think that Google places different priorities when developing Android compared to Apple's approach at iOS. But they are both ultimately working towards the same goals of providing both great functionality and user experience. I'm using a Nexus 4 now and previously used a Moto X for around 4 months, and I agree with a lot of points mentioned.

1. I see that as well from time to time as well. IPhone 5 despite being older still feels smoother, and consistently so.

2. Not sure as I don't use Skype.

3. Design consistency isn't Google's strong suit. Even with 4.4 kitkat it is still visible. Like in certain parts of the OS, you can still find that HOLO blue in bits and pieces as well.

4. Quality of apps is still iOS's strong suit. It is impossible for Android devs to test their apps for all devices. Especially with vast amount of them out there with different hardware. Not to mention Google themselves keeps changing their own design language. Prime example, the G+ app uses a new design which looks like the Google keep app, but do away with the slide in menu. Play store, play music, gmail, etc has the settings menu in the slide in drawer on the left. The YouTube, photos, calendar, etc houses the settings menu on the top right hand corner menu button instead. A bit of inconsistencies here and there.

5. I personally haven't had much issues with apps not working as intended.

6. To me both Google Now and Siri has their own advantage.

7. Agree, though sometimes I find iOS icons a bit bland as well.

8. Safari performs better on the websites that I frequent. Even on older hardware like the iPhone 5 compared to a modern android device like the Nexus 5.

9. The iPhone 5 still has better camera compared to a bunch of newer android devices. Not just the moto x IMO.

That said I still do enjoy using Android as a whole. There are still tons of things that Google has done that I really enjoy using. Like double tapping and then scrolling up or down to zoom in and out on maps, photos, and webpages. A feature which makes using the device one handed a breeze. Like the sharing and integration between apps, the way notification works, the tons of Google services integration, etc.

Overall I think it's just down to preference. I could easily use either one as my daily driver these days with the latest version of android and iOS.

To me i just think that Google places different priorities when developing Android compared to Apple's approach at iOS. But they are both ultimately working towards the same goals of providing both great functionality and user experience. I'm using a Nexus 4 now and previously used a Moto X for around 4 months, and I agree with a lot of points mentioned.

1. I see that as well from time to time as well. IPhone 5 despite being older still feels smoother, and consistently so.

2. Not sure as I don't use Skype.

3. Design consistency isn't Google's strong suit. Even with 4.4 kitkat it is still visible. Like in certain parts of the OS, you can still find that HOLO blue in bits and pieces as well.

4. Quality of apps is still iOS's strong suit. It is impossible for Android devs to test their apps for all devices. Especially with vast amount of them out there with different hardware. Not to mention Google themselves keeps changing their own design language. Prime example, the G+ app uses a new design which looks like the Google keep app, but do away with the slide in menu. Play store, play music, gmail, etc has the settings menu in the slide in drawer on the left. The YouTube, photos, calendar, etc houses the settings menu on the top right hand corner menu button instead. A bit of inconsistencies here and there.

5. I personally haven't had much issues with apps not working as intended.

6. To me both Google Now and Siri has their own advantage.

7. Agree, though sometimes I find iOS icons a bit bland as well.

8. Safari performs better on the websites that I frequent. Even on older hardware like the iPhone 5 compared to a modern android device like the Nexus 5.

9. The iPhone 5 still has better camera compared to a bunch of newer android devices. Not just the moto x IMO.

That said I still do enjoy using Android as a whole. There are still tons of things that Google has done that I really enjoy using. Like double tapping and then scrolling up or down to zoom in and out on maps, photos, and webpages. A feature which makes using the device one handed a breeze. Like the sharing and integration between apps, the way notification works, the tons of Google services integration, etc.

Overall I think it's just down to preference. I could easily use either one as my daily driver these days with the latest version of android and iOS.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I agree. What's more Google apps on a whole are excellent. Apart from gmail, I love the Google+ and maps apps on android.

I've used both iOS and android and they each have their pros and cons. For me the one thing that bugs me the most in android the scrolling physics; iOS seems more fluid and smoother in terms of scrolling but on android it's seems forced and not realistic.

Google's business is selling advertising. Literally everything else is a big science experiment for them.

That's not necessarily a bad thing because they've developed some really cool tech but it's why a lot of their software has the rough edges of open-source as opposed to the polish of closed-source/for profit software. The open nature of the platform is a tradeoff too - there's a lot more software available overall but much of it lacks the polish of iOS apps (not that iOS doesn't have some really terrible software on the App Store).

A lot of the things that Android does that might be seen as goods or positives over iOS come with tradeoffs. The platform is more open, more accessible, and cheaper to get a solid device on (Nexus 5, Moto X, and Moto G are all amazing devices with great off-contract price tags) but the wider ranges of tech, devices, and hardware/software vendors means quality is not as uniform as iOS. To me both platforms have positives and negatives. Although after being on Android for 3 years with my phones and owning iOS devices for at least a year, I find that I slightly prefer iOS as I'll take the tradeoff of not being able to run a few of the apps I have on Android in exchange for stability from the major apps I depend on to get through my day.

I did a little experiment recently. I got a Moto X, in order to Android again (stuck with it for 2 months). My last Android phone was a Droid 2. I enjoyed the phone especially the features native to the Moto X. Android has really grown over the years.

But here is my opinion...

1. There is subtle but noticeable lag in some parts of the OS, and certainly in some resource hogging apps like Facebook and that is not good enough.
2. Apps like Skype dont work well in the background. I had trouble receiving calls especially if the app was not recently used.
3. The OS theme is not uniform, and that can be a bit jarring at times. Dark or light? Decide Google.
4. Devs do not seem to spend as much time developing Android apps as they seem to do for iOS apps and it shows in design and performance.
5. Some apps dont seem to work well with the system. PocketCasts for example won't restart immediately when you click the action button on your headsets. I took a picture once with the Moto X camera, and went back later and it washt there. How does that happen? My wife was witness to that event.
6. Hands free interaction with your phone (in my case a Moto X) still seem to need a lot of hand interactions, like unlocking or confirming. I find SIRI to be more helpful as a personal assistant than Google Now.
7. The icons... Whats with all the dimensionally different icons. Different shapes I get, but they should all be dimensionally equal. Then some devs just give you a totally flat edged squared icon that simple looks ugly (see Microsoft apps). Others give you huge icons (see Amazon), and other way too small (see Feedly). I am not sure whose icon is the correct size though).
8. Safari on iOS is better than Chrome on Android, it seems to handle the web better. Thats strange since Google owns the web.
9. The camera sucks on the Moto X compared to 2 year old iPhone 5. But that is a Moto X problem.
10. Some apps are simply ugly, haphazardly designed.

After all is said and done, I like Android, and I like Google apps running on Android. My problem with Android are the 3rd party apps. They may be up there in quantity, but they are not up there in quality, and a smartphone is as good as its apps for many people. After all apps are what you use when you own a smartphone.

In some ways Android seems to be a fun and versatile OS, still rough on the edges. It is as though Google experiments with everything, throws all new experimental features on the devices, but never really sees them though. If they would truly give it their all, and follow through on the development of all the features on Android, Android would probably be infinitely better than iOS.

I am back on my iPhone 5. I wish the screen was bigger, and the OS more customisable (I think), but everything works just as it should and I can depend on it working. For me and my normal day to day routine, that is what really matter.

P.S. The only thing I will truly miss about Android is the Gmail app, that is as close to perfection as a Mail app can get in my opinion. It is solid.

My two cents (from someone who is considering going to an iPhone depending on what the 6 has):

1) Never noticed any lag on any Android device, but maybe that's because I remove all the garbage the carriers force on it first.

2) I don't use Skype, but never noticed an app not getting info. BBM works fine, as does Pandora and everything.

3) Not everything is uniform. Personally, I like that because it allows more freedom, but I could see it from your POV too.

4) That is absolutely debatable in my opinion. Never had an issue with an app "not showing the effort" or whatever. Could you list a few of them, so I can see some of this happening?

5) I don't blame apps on the platform. If I were to, I'd say "Well, Sparrow can't get push email. That's a fault of Apple (which it is, but there are other things like this)."

6) MotoAssist can respond just by saying "Ok Google" while driving. I've never had to interact with it to send a text while driving, nor to reply to a text while driving. Siri requires that I hold the home button. Not sure what else to say here.

7) I can change any icons I want. The reason they may look bad is Apple patented icon look, so these have to look different.

1) I can't put icons where I want them. I like having a space in the center empty. Stupid, but it's how *I* like it.

2) I can't see inside my backups to verify what's in them.

3) I can't delete photos I put on my iPhone from my PC without reconnecting to my PC.

4) I don't have granular permissions to say "No random game, you may not get my contacts." (just an example, as some do prompt, but I don't have as granular as I like). I know I have to root an Android for that, but rooting happens almost instantly, Jailbreak doesn't.

5) I do have a few others, but they're minor.

Basically as my "I don't like (whatever) about the iPhone" list is getting smaller, I'm weighing options, but I'm still not sure what these threads do really, except preach to the choir. Just offering my counterpoints really.

My two cents (from someone who is considering going to an iPhone depending on what the 6 has):

1) Never noticed any lag on any Android device, but maybe that's because I remove all the garbage the carriers force on it first.

2) I don't use Skype, but never noticed an app not getting info. BBM works fine, as does Pandora and everything.

3) Not everything is uniform. Personally, I like that because it allows more freedom, but I could see it from your POV too.

4) That is absolutely debatable in my opinion. Never had an issue with an app "not showing the effort" or whatever. Could you list a few of them, so I can see some of this happening?

5) I don't blame apps on the platform. If I were to, I'd say "Well, Sparrow can't get push email. That's a fault of Apple (which it is, but there are other things like this)."

6) MotoAssist can respond just by saying "Ok Google" while driving. I've never had to interact with it to send a text while driving, nor to reply to a text while driving. Siri requires that I hold the home button. Not sure what else to say here.

7) I can change any icons I want. The reason they may look bad is Apple patented icon look, so these have to look different.

1) I can't put icons where I want them. I like having a space in the center empty. Stupid, but it's how *I* like it.

2) I can't see inside my backups to verify what's in them.

3) I can't delete photos I put on my iPhone from my PC without reconnecting to my PC.

4) I don't have granular permissions to say "No random game, you may not get my contacts." (just an example, as some do prompt, but I don't have as granular as I like). I know I have to root an Android for that, but rooting happens almost instantly, Jailbreak doesn't.

5) I do have a few others, but they're minor.

Basically as my "I don't like (whatever) about the iPhone" list is getting smaller, I'm weighing options, but I'm still not sure what these threads do really, except preach to the choir. Just offering my counterpoints really.

These posts are just community members expressing an opinion. I see your points and at the end of the day,it's more about personal preference. My wife got my Moto X and told me today she much prefers Android.

BTW: concluding as you did, my list of what I don't like about Android also got considerably smaller.

P.S. The lag was not system wide, but in apps. Scrolling in Facebook for example was quite janky. That may be because of the Moto X specs.

These posts are just community members expressing an opinion. I see your points and at the end of the day,it's more about personal preference. My wife got my Moto X and told me today she much prefers Android.

BTW: concluding as you did, my list of what I don't like about Android also got considerably smaller.

P.S. The lag was not system wide, but in apps. Scrolling in Facebook for example was quite janky. That may be because of the Moto X specs.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can't speak to Facebook directly, got that monkey off of my back 3 years ago when, in the same day, I was called "a gun toting-confederate flag waving Republican" and a "super hippie-liberal". Different discussions, but anyways. Might be a Facebook issue to be honest with that janky-ness. Could just be the few apps that are messed up too though.

I agree that this is more of a personal choice than anything else at this point.

Can't speak to Facebook directly, got that monkey off of my back 3 years ago when, in the same day, I was called "a gun toting-confederate flag waving Republican" and a "super hippie-liberal". Different discussions, but anyways. Might be a Facebook issue to be honest with that janky-ness. Could just be the few apps that are messed up too though.

I agree that this is more of a personal choice than anything else at this point.

Yeh it's most likely the app. And at this stage any app that lags receives the blame. Android itself and Google Appa for that matter are quite smooth.